COUNCILLORS will force a Stanmore pub where a police sergeant observed “utter drunken chaos” to shut for two weeks and to close an hour earlier every day when it reopens.

Members of Harrow Council's licensing panel decided on July 5 to suspend the premises licence of Crazy Horse in London Road for a fortnight and reduce its operating hours, as well as modifying the venue's conditions to demand a police-standard CCTV system be installed and any instances of violence against customers or staff inside or outside the venue must be brought to the attention of the police immediately.

Harrow Police licensing officer Sergeant John Crump said: “It sends a message that the council have viewed the problems as serious enough to grant a suspension of the licence and to withdraw some of the hours.

“We have had some complications or confusion over them providing us with closed-circuit television material and this new condition enables us to define what we expect from the licensee.”

Sgt Crump requested the panel review the pub's licence after experiencing what the police described as “many incidents arising from problems”.

In written evidence, one of their colleagues, Sergeant Wasim Sarfraz, said about the 2010 Christmas Eve party: “I would describe what I witnessed as utter drunken chaos with staff having no control over themselves or their customers.

“There were approximately 80 people spilling out from the venue when I arrived. “All of them were very drunk and causing so much disruption that four officers had to remain on scene for over an hour.”

He said officers investigating an alleged assault on a customer on that same evening faced “an uphill struggle” because “trying to even the most basic facts was rendered almost impossible due to the inability of staff to assist police."

The Crazy Horse's new opening times are 10am to 12midnight Monday to Thursday, 10am to 1am Friday and Saturday and 12noon to 12midnight on Sundays, with 30 minutes drinking up time in each case.

The licence suspension and opening times reduction will come into force after the appeal period against their decision lapses.